How did Jaguar get started as a car company, quite oddly, as a side car maker

The Swallow Sidecar Company was founded on 4 September 1922 by two friends, William Walmsley and William Lyons.

Both families lived in the same street in Blackpool, England. Walmsley had previously been making sidecars and bolting them onto reconditioned motorcycles. Lyons had served his apprenticeship at Crossley Motors in Manchester before moving to Brown and Mallalieu as a junior salesman.

 Lyons, having recognized the commercial potential for these sidecars, joined Walmsley and together they obtained premises in Blackpool. With a small team of employees they were able to begin commercial production of the motorcycle sidecars.

 The company diversified in 1926, changing its name to the Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Company and moved into the car coachwork business.

 In 1927 the "Sidecar" was dropped from the name, and it became the Swallow Coachbuilding Company. The increasing demand for Swallows made it necessary to move the company closer to the heart of the British car industry and so, in 1928, they moved to a part disused First World War munitions factory in Coventry. Business continued to grow and in 1929 the company was sufficiently confident to go to the expense of taking a stand at the London Motor Show.

In 1929 John Black and William Lyons realized a long standing dream and produced a one of a kind sports car, This "First" SS (Standard Swallow) was a sleek Boat Tail Roadster with a flowing, streamlined design and pointed to an obvious attempt at making a fast car, possibly with the intention of venturing into racing. This car is believed to have been shipped to Australia in the late 40s.

 Lyons wanted to move away from just being a coach builder and reliance on other manufacturers' existing chassis. He commissioned a custom chassis from the Standard Motor Company. At the 1931 Motor Show he unveiled the S.S.1 coupé and a smaller 1 litre version, the S.S.II. The continued success and expansion of the SS range resulted in the creation of the S.S. Cars Ltd motor company by Lyons in 1934.

After the Second World War, due to the unfavorable connotations of the SS initials, the company was renamed Jaguar Cars Ltd in 1945.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow_Sidecar_Company

Read More

Driving Canada.com has some quizzes if you have a moment to test yourself

http://www.driving.ca/story.html?id=5179619

Famous cars (37 out of 45 tv and movie cars, they are either easy or impossible ... which of the Back to the Future movies? Really? And the Cuda is a 71, not a 70)

Car advertising slogans
Car identification by taillight  (I got 28 of 35, huge range, from 60's sports cars to new Hondas and Toyotas)
Car company emblem identification (I got 44 out of 50)

It's a little slow because of the one question per web page, next page for the answer, next page for the second question format...  but hell, I didn't want to make a test like this! Time consuming to photograph 50 car manufacturers logos, crop them, photoshop out the name FORD for example, then post them and the answers, and grade it... 

Read More

How much of a (pre1976) gear head car guy are you? I'm not testing you, just offering these for your use (but don't email me the answers! I know them already!)

What cars were factory Super Stockers in the 1960's drag racing wars? (Made by GM, Ford, Chrysler, AMC... and factory built only to drag race, sometimes not street legal in any way)

 I don't know anyone (I know they are out there, but I don't have them on the phone to ask for a helping hand to edit this) 
who knows more about all of the vast car world in general (versus hot rod or sports car fanatics for example)
than I do (I am not a specialist) 
because I'm just a car guy 
(like I say in this website title)

 with a passion for all things with wheels and have learned a friggin ton about all makes and models, from all countries and eras. So there are some errors in semantics, writing, and use of the English language following... 

And I seemed to have irritated all the HAMBers by coming across as a know it all that doesn't/hasn't worked on any cars. Only one realized I was asking for help, not challenging them to a pissing contest. Of course, they shut off the thread in 9 hours flat from the time they started commenting on it,  before I got online today, where I could have explained that my linguistic skills are so poor that my miscommunication of asking for their help to make this set of questions was my fault, and now I am unable to clarify to them that I went to them for help in making a fun/enjoyable test where the questions weren't redundant, vague, misleading. They didn't seem to understand the words "help please" when I asked for editting assistance

but I hope you enjoy this challenge, and maybe win a bet among your friends as to who knows more about cars.

I've tried not to drift into obscure things like option codes, COPO cars, designers, one off unique prototypes, etc

So I apologize for coming off as a know it all, and offending so many of you , because I simply am not fluent enough to communicate that this was intended as a fun test, not a presumptuous / pretentious challenge from me to you. 

I don't have anyone with more knowledge about pre-1976 cars in general to fall back on as a 2nd checker,  to proofread this test for the correct way to form the question without being to vague,
accuracy, 
mistakes, 
and questions that a regular car guy wouldn't have a chance of knowing. 

If you are that guru of the car guy world, PLEASE email me and help me make this test better! jbohjkl@yahoo.com 

What models of Chevys came with a base and a Super Sport option?

How many cars were pickup bed versions of a normal car (example El Camino and Chevelle) can you name? Not including Austalian cars.

What were the 1970 high impact colors for Mopars?

How many car companies can you name from Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Great Britains countries (you know, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland ) The USA, and Australia?

What were the Canadian car model names of the GM (Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Buick) cars? Hint, there were 4 that I know of... and one was available in a convertible that was never available in the USA model that it was identical to.

What were the Canadian Chrysler cars (and one truck) model names? There are 8 that I know of.

How many dead car companies from America can you name?

How many AMC models can you name?

What models did Chevy have that started with the letter C?

Who patented the car, and legally forced all the big car companies to pay him a licensing fee until Ford fought lawsuits with appeals, because it was cutting into profits too much?

What company had the first modern mass production line?

Who made the Jeep prototype for the government contract but wasn't really able to produce it in numbers that the US govt needed to supply the Army in WW2?

What are the most famous car companies to make aircraft engines?

What is the last and only independant car company in England?

What were the three cars to be made in America that are synonymous with ugly?

What cars did Hurst get their name on through ventures with the big corporations?

What cars had a Shelby valve covers from the factory or dealership, and or Shelby badging on the outside of the car?

How many companies can you name that made bodies for car companies like Packard, Duesenburg, Cadillac, etc ?

What companies merged to become American Motor Corporation?

What car had the most options in the 1960's?

What cars had hood scoops, and which Mopar is a glaringly obvious model that didn't?

What Mopars came with 3 two barrels?

what caused them to name the Buick model, the Century?

What cars raced in the 1st New York to Paris?

What cars raced in the 1st Paris to Beijing?

What mid or rear engined cars can you name?

How many custom Mustang and Corvette companies can you name? (not parts suppliers... I mean companies that take factory cars, and made them faster or better handling or both, and stamped their name on them, like Saleen)

What are ARDUN heads, Clifford intakes,  6 pack carbs, Gurney Eagles, side oilers

How many carburetor companies can you name?

How many camshaft companies can you name?

Where would you find a Dana 60, a 9 inch, and a 12 bolt?

2 car parts are known as banjos, what are they?

Who invented the fuel log?

What car part did Nicola Tesla patent?

How many transmissions can you name?

What are sprints and midgets?

What 12 race did Steve McQueen enter in 1970?

What race car is Steve McQueen most commonly associated with?

What was the rarest car Steve McQueen owned?

What is the SCCA, SCTA, GNRS, SYC, OEM, NOS, COE?

What are the following people famous for?
Ed Cole, Ed Roth, Ed Winfield, Barney Oldfield, Barney Navarro, Wally Parks, Norm Grabowski,

Name the land speed record setting cars (not jet engine cars, piston powered)

Name land speed record setting drivers

Name land speed racing locations

Name the hot rodders 1940's dry lakes, there are at least 4

Who made the Dude and the Demon?

How many Chevy car models that came with a Super Sport option level can you name?

Name the most famous engine builders of Hemi's

Who is the Snake, the Mongoose, the Professor?

What cars came from the factory with flat black hoods?

What cars did Hurst collaborate on and get the Hurst name on?

What were the high impact Mopar colors of 1970?

Name the Aero war cars of 1968-1971 that were developed to get more Nascar victories and sold to the public only because of the homologation rule?

Name the after market shifter companies

What Super Stock cars can you name?

What was the sister car to the Torino Talledaga?

What were the AMC "X" car models?

What was the last of the muscle cars in the 1970's?

What 4 car companies comprised Auto Union, represented by the 4 rings

What cars came from Mopar with the 426 hemi?

What cars did Shelby put engines in or his name on?

Name at least 6 types of rims, not rim making companies

When did the big 3 switch from generators to alternators?

What car company made the Jeep prototype, but who built them in numbers needed for WW2?

What was the Jeep truck model named?

When vinyl tops were options, what was the point of getting your car optioned with one?

What were the big blocks in the 65-75 muscle cars years from the big 3?

What were the AMC v-8s sizes?

What was the biggest of the muscle car v-8s? Hint, smaller than the 460 truck engine

Which cars had stripes on the nose or tail?

Cars had the engine sizes indicated with numbers on the outside of the car in many ways... how many can you name? Stickers are a way, not a type. Mopar had at least 2 stickers with specific names that gave the engine size.

Who made "the Machine"?

Name the awesome muscle car era car dealerships you would go to to get the fastest cars

How many VW models can you name, pre 1971?

What company did Ford have build the Boss 429 Mustangs?

Who put together the ZL1 Camaros?

What is a UTE?

What cars came from the factory with dual quads?

What is the give away in the Mopar engine bay that you would look for to indicate a track pack optioned car?

Where was the name "Camaro" claimed by Chevrolet to have come from?

Who made the Delmont, Beaumont, Wildcat, Cyclone, Biscayne?

What did a Mustang GT-A come with?

What was Briggs Cunningham known for? Art Arfons? The Blastolene Brothers? Mad Man Muntz? Frank Kurtis?

Who were the Drag Masters?

What was the Wagon Master?

What was the Candymatic?

What cars came factory optioned with the Boss 302, Boss 429, ZL1?

What is a mountain motor?

What was the Rent a Racer?

What was the famous Alabama state trooper car?

How many supercharger manufacturers can you name?

Name the 2 seater sports cars made in america, before 1971. Not kit cars.

The top of the line Cougar was called the ? Coronet? Mustang? Charger? Road Runner? Maverick?

What cars have had a retro comeback? (A modern remake design in the past decade or two because the car companies are too stupid to innovate anything interesting)

Read More

2009 ZR1

most expensive production car GM ever made, $103,300. A base Corvette was $48,000

Read More

1970 and 71 Cyclone Spoiler, why did it have the peepsight grill hole in the center?

Larry Shinoda designed it, and was keeping drag racers in mind, so he put the hole there for faster, easier camshaft swaps.

Info source, Muscle Car Review, May 2012 issue, page 35

Read More

Simple fix for a severe and self perpetuating catastrophic chain reaction in 67-69 Camaros with V-8 engines

When the driver side mount broke, engine torque made the block lift up, and pull open the accelerator linkage.
This caused an increase in pull on the throttle to the carb, causing increased revs and more torque twist to the engine, and with more upward movement causing more runaway acceleration in a vicious circle.

This runaway sequence would only stop when the engine hit the underside of the hood.

But that wasn't all, the twisting upward engine pulled the power brake booster vacuum hose loose, making it harder to stop the car, and if that wasn't bad enough... the twist also caused a problem with the automatic transmission, which would shift to the right, with a result of the car no longer having a park position and being able to start in reverse.

New motor mounts cost $50 a unit, and so GM fixed the issue with a $1.00 bracket and cable to hold the engine down if/when the motor mount broke.

Consider that the problem caused a 6.68 million car recall, then multiply the number of cars by the cost of the repair part, and you can see why Gm went for the cheap simple fix.

I learned all this from the May 2012 issue of MuscleCar Review, page 24

Read More

Daimler and Daimler AG, and Daimler Benz, etc etc etc... I've been meaning to learn what is the history

History

Daimler AG is a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and engines, which dates back more than a century.
An Agreement of Mutual Interest was signed on May 1, 1924 between Benz & Cie (founded 1883) of Karl Benz and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (founded 1890) of Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach.
(So that explains Maybach's and Benz's connection!)

Both companies continued to manufacture their separate automobile and internal combustion engine brands until, on June 28, 1926, when Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft AG formally merged—becoming Daimler-Benz AG—and agreed that thereafter, all of the factories would use the brand name of Mercedes-Benz on their automobiles. (below I get to where the name Mercedes suddenly pops into this corporate identity, as no one in the company, or company mergers was ever named Mercedes)

In 2007, when the Chrysler group was sold off to Cerberus Capital Management, the name of the parent company was changed to simply "Daimler AG".

Timeline of Daimler AG

Benz & Company, 1883–1926
Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft AG, 1890–1926
Daimler-Benz AG, 1926–1998
DaimlerChrysler AG, 1998–2007
Daimler AG, 2007–present

Mercedes

Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG). DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler.

 Although the name was not lodged as a trade name until 23 June 1902 and had to wait until 26 September to be registered legally, the brand name eventually would be applied to an automobile model built by Wilhelm Maybach to specifications by Emil Jellinek that was delivered to him on 22 December 1900.

 By Jellinek's contract, the new model contained a newly designed engine designated "Daimler-Mercedes". This engine name is the first instance of the use of the name, Mercedes, by DMG. The automobile model would later be called, the Mercedes 35 hp.

An Austrian diplomat based in Nice, a business man running a profitable business selling cars, and a racing enthusiast, Jellinek had been racing DMG automobiles under the pseudonym Mercédès, after his daughter, Mercédès Jellinek.

Later he contracted with DMG for a small series of dedicated sports cars containing an engine that officially bore his daughter's name. He raced them very successfully, gaining recognition that increased interest in customers and Jellinek was placed on the board of directors of DMG. This model was a significant advancement in the history of automobiles.

The model was released for sale in 1901 under the name of Mercedes 35 hp and, because of the success of the model, DMG began to apply the name as a series to other models such as, Mercedes 8/11 hp and Mercedes 40 hp Simplex. Jellinek seems to have become obsessed with the name and even had his name changed to Jellinek-Mercedes.

Maybach quit DMG in 1907 and started up his own business.

The name, Mercedes, later was used to represent DMG in another new brand name, Mercedes-Benz, created in 1926 when it was applied to all vehicles produced by the new company, Daimler-Benz AG, resulting from the merger of Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in that year.

The last name of Karl Benz was retained in the new brand, but since DMG had sold exclusive licences to foreign companies(maybe this is the British car company Daimler), they couldn't use the name of their founder, Daimler, legally in all countries and decided to use the name of their most popular model. Since Jellinek was a member of the board of directors by the time of the merger, the name was promoted for continued good luck to the new company.

all above info from http://en.wikipedia.org

Daimler the British car company

Gottlieb Daimler studied machine construction at the Stuttgart Polytechnic from 1857-59 and during that time he was introduced to the highly developed level of machine construction in Britain. In 1885 Daimler, together with Maybach began work on the first engines that were designed specifically for use in motor vehicles.

They abandoned the existing conventional, open, horizontal type design with an external flywheel, and arranged the engine to stand upright with an internal flywheel, and a casting that was sealed against oil and dust. The engine's output was 0.37KW (0.5bhp), had a cubic capacity of 164cc, weighed 60kg and produced 700 revolutions per minute.

After that, Daimler and Maybach turned to the problem of liquid fuel. Finally, they found the best combustible mixture was 91% air and 9% petrol with a specific gravity of 0.68 g/cubic cm. This engine was equipped with a carburettor and was built into a wooden frame.

 Daimler gave this engine a higher output, up to 0.76KW (1bhp) and built it into a coach body. He made his first trip around Bad Cannstatt in this vehicle in September 1886. Later, this engine proved to be excellent for driving motorboats. In 1887, Daimler purchased a small factory so he could produce and sell the engine. This two-cylinder V-engine had an output of 1.5KW (2hp) Gottlieb Daimler died on 6th March 1900.

Fredrick Simms an Englishman born in Hamburg, was on the lookout for a power source to use in his 'Aerial Flights' (overhead railcar) and befriended Daimler, who at that time was using his new engine in motorboats. Simms saw the potential for marketing this engine in Britain. He took up the patent rights and formed a company in 1893 called 'The Daimler Motor Syndicate Ltd'.

He then started to build the boats on Eel Pie Island for use on the Thames, using the imported Daimler engines to power them. In 1895, a businessman named Harry J. Lawson saw an opportunity to build cars using the Daimler engine and duly bought up all the patents he could, including the rights to the Daimler engine from Simms.

In 1898, the Great Horsless Carriage Company, which had constructed the bodies for the Daimler chassis had gone into liquidation and from it, a new company, called the Motor Manufacturing Company was formed. Having land leased from Daimler, they built a forge and went into production using their own engines and chassis. Also, in the same year, the original Daimler motor syndicate, which had become the British Motor Syndicate, now became the British Motor Company. By this time, it was struggling to hold onto the patents which Harry J. Lawson had originally bought and had Licensed to the Daimler Motor Company and other motor manufacturers.

Simms, together with Robert Bosch, had now developed a low-tension magneto, but the Daimler engineers were not convinced of the merits of electric ignition. The Daimler Company agreed to carry out tests but it decreased the horsepower of the motor, so was dismissed. Fortunately, E.W. Lewis, the company's chief draftsman, had designed his own contact breaker which proved successful and was fitted to King Edward VII's first car. Lewis later joined the Rover Company and designed their first motor cycle and early cars. The Motor Manufacturing Company that shared the Coventry site with Daimler ran into difficulties, and in 1905 was taken over by Daimler.
British Daimler info from http://www.daimler.co.uk

Read More

The stories behind the Bugatti Royale, Mercedes, Packard, and Rolls Royce hood ornaments

An Archer’s Tale

Before the company became synonymous with the powerful and well-to-do, the George N. Pierce Company in Buffalo, New York, was known for making more pedestrian items like ice boxes, birdcages, and bicycles. But then came the automobile, and from 1903 to 1938 few made them better and more luxurious than Pierce-Arrow Motorcar Company. Valuable as Pierce-Arrow touring cars are today, the most coveted single part of the vehicle is arguably the hood ornament. Originals are worth thousands and are typically kept under lock and key by their owners. The first Pierce-Arrow archers were slight in frame, partly clothed, and helmeted. Later versions depict a helmet-less archer with no clothes and a little more muscle. Both versions are graceful and elegant, which is funny when you consider that a fellow sweeping the floor of the Pierce-Arrow factory was asked to be the model. After attending archery classes to add realism to the pose, Albert Gonas used his broom for the arrow.

A “Rolls” In the Hay

Prior to 1910, Rolls-Royce did not offer vehicles with a hood ornament; they simply carried the Rolls-Royce emblem. But hood ornaments—or mascots as they are called in Europe—were fast becoming the automotive trend of the day. People of the era believed that a vehicle as grand as a Rolls-Royce should have a hood ornament and, thus, began to affix their own. This disturbed leaders of the company who deemed some of these ornaments patently "inappropriate"—somewhat ironic when you learn the story behind the creation of the mascot known as “The Spirit of Ecstasy.”

The Flying Lady we know today is a figurine of woman with sight fixed upon the distance and wide, outstretched arms. But she didn’t start out that way. Designed by Charles Robinson Sykes, the idol was originally inspired by a secret love affair between John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu (second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu after 1905, a pioneer of the automobile movement, and editor of The Car Illustrated magazine from 1902) and his secretary Eleanor Velasco Thornton.

By all accounts, Lord Montagu truly loved Thornton. But Thornton was “a commoner” with no social standing, which proved to be an obstacle to marriage. Lord Montagu and Thornton continued their affair even after the former succumbed to family pressure and married a woman “worthy” of his money and status. But when Montagu commissioned his friend Sykes to sculpt a personal mascot for the bonnet of his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Sykes chose Thornton as his model. The original “Flying Lady” was a figurine of a woman in fluttering robes and pressing a finger against her lips, symbolizing the secrets of Thornton and Lord Montagu’s love.

A Star is Born

Gottlieb Daimler probably rolled over in his grave during the mid-1980s when a rap-inspired fashion trend led to thousands of Mercedes-Benz automobiles being stripped of their hood ornaments by vandalizing thieves. The symbolic Mercedes star so long associated with wealth and prestige was then turned into a piece of jewelry worn on gold chains around the necks of rappers with stage names like Run DMC and Kurtis Blow.

The origin of the “three-point star” traces its roots back to the late 1880s when Daimler had been technical director of the Deutz gas engine factory. According to company records, Daimler often rendered the image of a star on postcards to friends and had even once written to his wife that this star would one day shine over his own factory as a symbol of prosperity.

As early as 1910, both a three-pointed and a four-pointed star were registered trademarks of Daimler’s fledgling company. Although both designs were legally protected, only the three-pointed star was used after it was determined to best symbolize Daimler’s original ambition of universal motorization “on land, on water and in the air”.

Brotherly Love

On June 8, 1916, Rembrandt Bugatti, a gifted wildlife sculptor and younger brother of Italian auto maker Ettore Bugatti, committed suicide at the age of 31. An eccentric artist known around Paris for climbing into the cages of animals at the Antwerp Zoo, Rembrandt Bugatti suffered financial troubles and chronic bouts of depression.

Struggling financially and suffering from depression as a result of the horrors witnessed in his time as a paramedic aid at the Red Cross Military Hospital during World War I, Rembrandt found himself pushed over the edge. When he was found, sealed in his apartment with the gas turned on, the once gifted artist whose outstanding animal sculptures can be found in museums all over the world was reportedly clutching a bouquet of violets.

When older brother Ettore went on to produce the famed Bugatti Royale sports cars, each carried a replica of Rembrandt’s most famous sculpture on the hood—a dancing silver elephant—commonly regarded as the most sought after hood ornament in the world.

Info from the HVA, Historic Vehicle Association http://www.historicvehicle.org/Latest-News/News-archive/February-2012/2012/02/23/Sex-Lies-Dancing-Elephants?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=March%20Hagerty%20News

Read More

Men compared to Women driving statistics, crashes, car buying, causes of crashes... big infographic and my thanks to Charlie Holbert and Helen Young, and CarRentals.co.uk

Infographic by Carrentals – Men Vs Women Drivers found on http://www.carrentals.co.uk/blog/men-vs-women-drivers.html where you can see it full size (original size is bigger than Blogger can deal with)

Read More

VW Kombi trivia

It is the only production vehicle in Brazil that already had all the possible configurations of fuel by the law:

gasoline,
alcohol,
diesel
 and flex.
 There was even a CNG option approved by VW.

Read More

You don't know the new Camaro, it's not American.. here are 3 things you've probably never heard before

It's Canadian built,
designed by a South Korean,
and developed in Australia. 

Read More